The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 was always going to be one of this year’s most eagerly anticipated releases. But thanks to Lionsgate’s brilliant marketing campaign, buzz has reached a fever pitch.

Today, the first The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 trailer was finally revealed after weeks of teases. So, does it live up to the hype? Find out for yourself after the jump.

The Hunger Games marketing train continues to chug along with the first reveal of a limited edition Comic-Con poster for The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1. Created by street artist WK Interact, it’s got a bold, street-art-y aesthetic that looks like it could have come straight out of rebellion HQ in District 13. Check it out after the jump.

The Lionsgate marketing team continues to knock it out of the park with the first The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 teaser. Rather than dishing out the usual 20-second melange of explosions and one-liners, they’ve delivered a beautifully creepy piece of Capitol propaganda, read by President Snow (Donald Sutherland) himself.

At first, the video seems innocuous enough, with Snow extolling the virtues of peace and unity and whatnot. Then the camera pulls back to reveal his new friend, and… well, see for yourself. Hit the jump for the full The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 teaser.

Katniss Everdeen proved herself in the arena, but could she be getting her own theme park? It’s possible, based on the success of a new traveling Hunger Games exhibit Lionsgate just announced. Read more about that, and the following, in this edition of Theme Park Bits.

The Purge: Breakout is touring the country.

Watch a new commercial for Harry Potter‘s Diagon Alley.

Read about the new food Potter themed food selections.

See a ton of new photos of the expansion which is already ready to open

Lionsgate just debuted the first look from The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1. There’s a motion poster, some images, and more on a special website dedicated to the highly anticipated sequel directed by Francis Lawrence. In Mockingjay, Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence) and her friends have finally begun the rebellion against the Capitol. But they have one crucial problem: Peeta (Josh Hutcherson) has been captured.

The film opens November 21. Below, check out the Mockingjay Part 1 poster as well as some images featuring Julianne Moore, Philip Seymour Hoffman,Woody Harrelson, and Jeffrey Wright. There’s even an interview with Moore. Read More »

The Hunger Games franchise has no shortage of kick-ass ladies, and now it’s adding another. Gwendoline Christie, best known as Brienne of Tarth on HBO’s Game of Thrones, has just boarded The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2. She replaces Lily Rabe in the role of Commander Lyme. Learn more about the last-minute change after the jump.

On Monday morning, we reportedPhilip Seymour Hoffman had shot enough of his The Hunger Games: Mockingjay role before his passing that the release dates for the two-parter have not shifted. But he still had seven days of filming left on Part 2 and, unsurprisingly, that’s leading to some complications.

According to insiders at the studio, the late Hoffman still had one major scene left to shoot when he died. The filmmakers are now scrambling to work around his absence, possibly by digitally inserting him into some scenes. More details after the jump.

The second film in the Hunger Games series is out this week, and with it comes a new director, and a layer of extra complexity that fans of the novel series have been eager to see on screen. Now that we know the general outline of life in Panem, and how the Hunger Games are used as a tool for population control, it’s time to get into what really happens when the “winners” of the games learn how the Capitol really works.

With those elements, the addition of new characters, and a great load of footage shot in IMAX, there’s a lot to talk about with The Hunger Games: Catching Fire. We’ve had Germain’s review and interview with Jennifer Lawrence, but now it’s your turn. What did you think of the film? Let us know in the comments below, where spoilers are encouraged.

Briefly: This probably won’t be exactly the theme park you’re looking for — we presume there will be no killing — but everyone wants to be a victor, and theme park companies know it. Lionsgate announced today that it is considering a new theme park attraction based on The Hunger Games. In the same conference call that brought us the news of Ender’s Game possibly migrating to television, Lionsgate CEO Jon Feltheimer said that the company has had offers in “two territories about potential theme park opportunities” based on The Hunger Games. We don’t know what territories, or what parks.

Still, for certain types of film series, the theme park attraction can be a great money machine that goes beyond what disc media sales and other licensing can create. And so Feltheimer says “We’re excited about those opportunities and we’re pursuing them.”

Maybe someone will design a great attraction that puts attendees not in the Games, but in the crowd during the Reaping, or just throws visitors into the poorest District areas, and has them try to feed a family. That would be a neat twist. Because otherwise a shiny theme park attraction seems like a really weird and even inappropriate way to keep The Hunger Games going. [The Wrap]

Among the new actors Francis Lawrence has recruited for his two-part adaptation of The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, the most interesting might be Julianne Moore. The actress has been rumored to play Alma Coin, the character who first appears in Mockingjay, the third installment of Suzanne Collins‘ dystopian YA trilogy.

Now Moore has been confirmed for the role. She’ll join the returning cast from The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, which hits theaters this November, and other new recruits Natalie Dormer, Evan Ross, and Stef Dawson. Read More »